42 Production Notes - Visual Hollywood

42 (2013) PRODUCTION NOTES 

42 

Production Notes 

Release Date: April 12, 2013 

Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures 

Director: Brian Helgeland 

Screenwriter: Brian Helgeland 

Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Harrison Ford, Nicole Beharie, Christopher Meloni, Andre Holland, Lucas 

Black, Hamish Linklater, Ryan Merriman, T.R. Knight 

Genre: Drama 

MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for thematic elements including language) 

Official Website: 42movie.com | Facebook 

STUDIO SYNOPSIS: Hero is a word we hear often in sports, but heroism is not always about achievements 

on the field of play. "42" tells the story of two men—the great Jackie Robinson and legendary Brooklyn 

Dodgers GM Branch Rickey—whose brave stand against prejudice forever changed the world by changing 

the game of baseball. In 1946, Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford) put himself at the forefront of history when he 

signed Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boseman) to the team, breaking Major League Baseball's infamous color 

line. But the deal also put both Robinson and Rickey in the firing line of the public, the press and even other 

players. Facing unabashed racism from every side, Robinson was forced to demonstrate tremendous 

courage and restraint by not reacting in kind, knowing that any incident could destroy his and Rickey's 

hopes. Instead, Number 42 let his talent on the field do the talking—ultimately winning over fans and his 

teammates, silencing his critics, and paving the way for others to follow. 

© 2013 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. 1


Synopsis 

Hero is a word we hear often in sports, but heroism is not always about achievements on the field of 

play. "42" tells the story of two men—the great Jackie Robinson and trailblazing Brooklyn Dodgers 

GM Branch Rickey—whose brave stand against prejudice forever changed the world by changing 

the game of baseball. 

From Academy Award® winner Brian Helgeland ("L.A. Confidential") comes the real-life drama 

"42," starring Chadwick Boseman ("The Express") as Jackie Robinson and Oscar® nominee Harrison 

Ford ("Witness") as Branch Rickey. 

In 1947, Branch Rickey put himself at the forefront of history when he signed Jackie Robinson to 

the Brooklyn Dodgers, breaking Major League Baseball's infamous color line. But the deal also put 

both Robinson and Rickey in the firing line of the public, the press and other players. 

Facing blatant racism from every side, even his own team, Robinson was forced to demonstrate 

tremendous courage and restraint by not reacting in kind, knowing that any incident could destroy 

his and Rickey's hopes. Instead, Number 42 let his talent on the field do the talking—ultimately 

winning over fans and his teammates, silencing his critics, and paving the way for others to follow. 

In 1997, Major League Baseball retired the number 42 for all teams, making it the first number in 

sports to be universally retired. The only exception is every year on April 15th—Jackie Robinson 

Day—commemorating the date of his first game as a Brooklyn Dodger. On that day alone, players 

from every team proudly wear the number 42 to honor the man who altered the course of history. 

Rounding out the main cast of "42" are: Nicole Beharie as Rachel Robinson; Christopher Meloni as 

Leo Durocher; Andre Holland as Wendell Smith; Lucas Black as Pee Wee Reese; Hamish Linklater 

as Ralph Branca; and Ryan Merriman as Dixie Walker. 

Written and directed by Brian Helgeland, "42" is produced by Thomas Tull, with Dick Cook, Jon 

Jashni, and Jason Clark serving as executive producers, and Darryl Pryor and Jillian Zaks coproducing. 

Helgeland's behind-the-scenes collaborators included Oscar®-nominated director of photography 

Don Burgess ("Forrest Gump"), production designer Richard Hoover, costume designer Caroline 

Harris, and editors Kevin Stitt and Peter McNulty. The music is composed by Oscar® nominee 

Mark Isham ("A River Runs Through It"). 

Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures present, a Legendary Pictures Production, a Brian 

Helgeland film, "42." The film opens on April 12, 2013, in time to commemorate the 66th anniversary 

of Jackie Robinson Day, on April 15th. 

The film has been rated PG-13 for thematic elements including language. 



About the Production 

BRANCH RICKEY 

I want a player who's got the guts not to 

fight back... Your enemy will be out in force, 

and you cannot meet him on his own low ground... 

JACKIE ROBINSON 

You give me a uniform, 

you give me a number on my back, 

and I'll give you the guts. 

On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson emerged from the tunnel at Ebbets Field in a Brooklyn Dodgers' 

uniform bearing the number 42. In that instant, he broke Major League Baseball's infamous 

color line. Simply put, that is the extent of what most people know about him in the context of history. 

However, few today can fully comprehend what that meant in the context of human experience. 

And the whole of what he achieved was anything but simple. 

Brian Helgeland, the writer and director of "42," reveals that he, like others, was unaware of the 

level of opposition and overt bigotry Robinson faced as the first African American to play for any 

major league team. "I thought I knew a lot about Jackie Robinson, but when I began researching the 

story, I realized I knew very little about that time and what he actually went through. I wanted to 

make a film that was entertaining but also one that shows what a big breakthrough it was then and 

how it still resonates today." 

Producer Thomas Tull, a self-described baseball fanatic, offers, "I went to the Baseball Hall of 

Fame when I was seven years old, which is when I first learned about Jackie Robinson, and his story 

stayed with me. It touched me and made me wonder what it was like for him because it's hard for 

me to fathom what he endured, both as a baseball player and as a man. It really is a classic hero's 

journey—someone who has unbelievable odds stacked against him and has the fortitude to overcome 

those odds and effect great change. When he broke the color line, it marked a turning point, 

not only in baseball but in history. In that way, it is a moment that transcends sports." 

Chadwick Boseman, who stars as the baseball legend, agrees. "Once you know the full scope of 

what he did—on the baseball field and in his later work in the Civil Rights movement—you realize 

that his contribution to society was tremendous, and not just in the sports world. He paved the way 

for people in every field, so I feel a personal connection to him because I am literally standing on 

his shoulders right now." 

In the racial climate of 1940s America, it arguably took as much courage to be the man who opened 

the door to integrating Major League Baseball as it did to be the man who walked through it. It was 

Brooklyn Dodgers President and General Manager Branch Rickey, who—despite vehement opposition 

from the league, the public and his own players—signed Jackie Robinson to his team. "Branch 

Rickey is a great, albeit forgotten, figure," says Helgeland. "Historians and those in baseball know 

who he was, but the average person has no idea. He'd given his life to the game and thought very 

deeply about how to improve it. When he was 65 and could have just rested on his laurels, he bravely 

decided to put it all on the line and be at the forefront of integrating baseball." 

Harrison Ford, who portrays the visionary baseball executive, states, "It's an incredible story about a 

critical step that was taken in confronting the issue of inequality. It was a moment when, ultimately, 



we shined. A moment when we responded to the ideals of America, and finally matched the nobility 

of our words and ambitions with our actions." 

Tull saw an opportunity to bring this seminal story to contemporary audiences when he was introduced 

to the love of Jackie's life, Rachel Robinson. He relates, "I had the chance to tell her about 

the lifelong admiration I had for her husband and my passion to tell this story, and she entrusted us 

with the project, which was, and is, an honor." 

The producer soon discovered that his enthusiasm for the subject was shared by Helgeland. "We've 

worked with Brian before and think he is an amazing talent," says Tull. "At the time I called him, he 

happened to be in Brooklyn, which I took as kind of a sign. From the moment I told him about my 

idea for a movie about Jackie Robinson, he was totally committed." 

Helgeland knew that it would be impossible to do justice to the entire Jackie Robinson story in a 

single film. Therefore, he decided to focus on the pivotal years of 1945 through `47, during which 

time, Helgeland details, "he got married, signed with the Dodgers' minor league affiliate, the Montreal 

Royals, and then made his major league debut." 

Robinson's public persona and on-field accomplishments are well-documented, but capturing his 

more private side presented a challenge. Helgeland affirms, "To have a character who comes with a 

ready-made history and anecdotes you can read about is obviously a huge advantage as a writer, but 

it was important for me to get out of the way and not insert my own opinions or set of rules. The 

most difficult thing was getting inside of him, so I was fortunate to be able to draw from people 

who knew Jackie: especially the woman with whom Jackie spent his life, Rachel Robinson. She has 

kept her husband's legacy alive all these years through the Jackie Robinson Foundation and was an 

invaluable resource." 

It was vital to the filmmakers that the relationship between Jackie and Rachel be as fundamental to 

the movie as it was to Jackie's success. Tull attests, "In talking to Mrs. Robinson, we got the sense 

that they had a true partnership—that each of them had an understanding of what they were up 

against and faced it together. Whatever he went through on the field, he would come home to a safe 

harbor." 

Rachel Robinson states, "What I believed then, and still do, is that the challenges made us feel like 

it was the two of us against the world. We knew this was an experiment in social change that had to 

succeed, so any personal discomfort we felt had to be discussed and put aside for the greater good. 

We were fortunate to love each other so much and so deeply that we could carry that belief forward, 

and I'm delighted that Brian captured all that in the script. I want young people to know you can go 

through terrible times, but if you form strong relationships and use those bonds to keep you committed, 

you can make a difference." 

THE PLAYERS 

Casting began with finding the right actor to embody the film's main character. Helgeland recalls, 

"Our casting director, Vickie Thomas, has a terrific eye and brought me great people, but as far as 

the part of Jackie Robinson was concerned, I just felt I would know him when he walked in the 

door. And that's exactly what happened. Chadwick Boseman read for the role and when he left the 

room, I said, 'That's it; the bar has been set.' And no one else came close to it." 



Boseman bears a remarkable resemblance to the real Robinson, but Helgeland says he was more 

impressed by what the actor conveyed from within. "You can see him reacting even when he's being 

quiet. You know how things are hitting him just looking at his face." 

"Sometimes what a person doesn't say is more powerful than what they say," Boseman states. "And 

the way Robinson played the game was so outspoken and demonstrative; he was able to perform in 

the most clutch moments and on the grandest stages. That spoke volumes, and it added value to 

Robinson's words when he did become vocal." 

The actor notes that he had to "bridge the gap" between himself and Jackie Robinson, particularly in 

terms of the racially charged atmosphere of then versus now. "I had to take it all in and ask myself 

what that must have been like. What would that do to me? He obviously feels everything that any 

person would feel in that situation: anger, frustration, fear... But he has pride in his race and an unshakeable 

sense of self that enables him to stand in the storm, which is a difficult thing to do. It ultimately 

comes down to basic human dignity—just respect me as a human being." 

Jackie earns the respect of Branch Rickey, who braves his own storm when he signs Robinson to 

the Dodgers organization, defying the unwritten but nonetheless explicit segregation of Major 

League Baseball. His only caveat is that Robinson not react in kind to the abuse—both verbal and 

physical—that will inevitably come his way. "They make a bargain," Helgeland expounds. "Rickey 

knows all eyes will be on Jackie, so he has to just play baseball and ignore everything else. If they 

are to succeed, Jackie must tolerate things he otherwise wouldn't so people can't use anything he 

says or does against him." 

Rickey is played by Harrison Ford, who reveals, "When I read the script, I thought it was wonderfully 

written; there were scenes that just knocked my socks off. I was fascinated by the character of 

Branch Rickey and immediately began to invest some energy in researching him because it was a 

part I very much wanted to play." 

Despite being an unabashed fan of the actor, Helgeland acknowledges that he was at first a bit reluctant 

to cast him as Rickey because of Ford's iconic stature. "Then when we talked, I could tell he 

totally embraced the part and understood him exactly as I understood him. He absolutely nailed it." 

Describing his role, Ford offers, "He is a businessman who recognizes that dollars aren't black or 

white; they are green. But he is also a moralist and a patriot who believes it is unseemly of this 

country not to offer opportunities to talented people because of the color of their skin. It's an issue 

of fairness, especially in a game that is so woven into the American spirit." 

Ford, who had never before portrayed a real historical figure, continues, "I was interested in capturing 

the truth of the character; however, at the same time, I was concerned about how much freedom 

there would be in the context of becoming an actual person of some significance." 

It was Ford himself who suggested that he wear padding and makeup prosthetics to look more like 

the real Branch Rickey. Additionally, in his research, he viewed some archival footage and found, 

"Rickey had a distinctive way of speaking, so I tried to suggest his voice. I was happy that Brian 

gave me the liberty to make those changes to my physiognomy, to give me that mask. He is one of 

the most generous and patient directors with whom I've ever had the pleasure to work." 

"Harrison is an incredible actor," Tull remarks, "but he's also one of the most recognizable people in 

the world. So I was in awe watching him completely disappear into Branch Rickey." 



With Rickey's help, Robinson is placed at the forefront of change, but there is also a woman behind 

the man, his wife, Rachel. "The love story is what drew me in," says Nicole Beharie, who was cast 

in the role. "Rachel is at Jackie's side on this mission. They have to deal with the bruises, physical 

and otherwise, together." 

"Nicole is not only beautiful; she has the kind of strength and independence that I wanted to see in 

Rachel. I believed her in the role," Helgeland states. "She also had natural chemistry with Chad, 

which is something you can't force but was very important." 

Beharie had the advantage of being able to consult with her real-life counterpart, Rachel Robinson, 

who thrilled everyone when she paid a visit to the set. The actress marvels, "For me, the most amazing 

thing was that her love and devotion to Jackie is as tangible and strong as it as it ever was. 

That's a powerful thing." 

"Rachel had a very emotional response to watching the scenes between Chad and Nicole. If this 

movie was able to bring a little of the romance between her and her husband back to her life, we 

could not achieve anything better than that," Helgeland smiles. 

"Meeting Rachel made me realize that the story is not his, it's theirs," Boseman adds. "They were a 

unit—lovers, friends, teammates." 

Jackie has another strong ally with a stake in his success. Wendell Smith is an African-American 

baseball writer who is hired by Branch Rickey to help guide his controversial rookie through the 

politics and pitfalls of his newfound fame. Andre Holland plays the reporter, who is coping with his 

own struggles with segregation. He emphasizes, "Wendell is confronted with the same sort of discrimination 

in his job; black journalists aren't even allowed in the press box so he is forced to sit in 

the stands with a typewriter on his lap. As much as anyone, he knows that breaking the color barrier 

in baseball is a beacon of hope for people who have been waiting for change in this country. Wendell 

senses the size of the moment and knows he has to do whatever he can to help." 

Holland, who had never even heard of Wendell Smith before reading the script, continues, "In researching 

him, I discovered he was such an important figure—really an unsung hero. He and Jackie 

were fighting the same battle, just on different battlefields. Wendell ended up becoming first African 

American to be admitted to the Baseball Writers Association, which was a huge deal. Every day 

on the set, I felt an enormous sense of pride to be part of a movie about people who, under dire circumstances, 

were able to excel." 

DEM BUMS 

The filmmakers drafted a team of actors to play the 1947 Brooklyn Dodgers, led by Christopher 

Meloni as the famed player-turned-manager Leo Durocher, who utters his immortal words, "Nice 

guys finish last." When members of the Dodgers start a petition protesting the addition of Robinson 

to the team, Branch makes it Leo's responsibility to put them in their place. Meloni recounts, "Leo 

nips it in the bud by telling them they can like it or lump it, but they'd better get used to it or they 

can take the train. Color is a non-issue to Leo; he doesn't care if Robinson is black, white or whatever, 

as long as he can help the Dodgers win." 

"Branch knew that team chemistry was crucial," asserts Helgeland. "A team that didn't have chem- 



istry didn't win. For that reason, he hoped that the men would just accept Jackie Robinson based on 

his abilities, but his hopes were probably too high. For one thing, a lot of the players had grown up 

in the Jim Crow South, where segregation was a way of life, so that mindset had to be overcome, 

which was a massive uphill climb." 

The petition drive is headed by Dodgers' right fielder Dixie Walker and pitcher Kirby Higbe, played 

by Ryan Merriman and Brad Beyer, respectively. Hamish Linklater portrays pitcher Ralph Branca, 

who is one of the first to extend his hand in welcome to Robinson. "All Ralph cares about is winning 

the pennant, so his only interest is if Jackie can play, not the color of his skin," says Linklater. 

It takes more time for some of the other Dodgers to come around, and two of them do so in dramatic 

fashion. The first time is at a game against Philadelphia where the Phillies manager, Ben 

Chapman, hurls a merciless barrage of racial slurs and epithets at Robinson whenever he comes up 

to bat. The attack is so relentless, it finally breaks the silence of the Dodgers' dugout. Jesse Luken, 

who plays second baseman Eddie Stanky, describes, "When Eddie sees the ring of fire that Chapman 

is putting Jackie through, he finally says, 'That's enough.' He makes a moral decision to stand 

up to Chapman because he knows Jackie can't. And that signifies a change." 

The second demonstration of support comes from Dodgers' shortstop Pee Wee Reese, played by 

Lucas Black. At a game in Cincinnati, Reese, a native of nearby Kentucky, reacts to the jeers from 

the crowd by going over to Robinson and, in a move that stuns everyone, puts his arm around his 

teammate's shoulders. In real life, that simple gesture—especially coming from one of the day's 

most popular players—was considered such a turning point that there is a statue commemorating it 

in Brooklyn. 

Black says, "I felt honored to be playing Pee Wee Reese, who was such an awesome player and a 

cool guy. He's quoted as saying, 'You can hate a man for many reasons, but color is not one of 

them,' so that shows how he ultimately felt about Jackie being his teammate." 

Also appearing as members of the Dodgers organization are: T.R. Knight as Harrold Parrott, the 

team's traveling secretary; Toby Huss as Clyde Sukeforth, a member of their scouting and coaching 

staff; Max Gail as the Dodgers' interim manager Burt Shotton; John C. McGinley as Dodgers playby-play 

announcer Red Barber; and Brett Cullen as Montreal Royals manager Clay Hopper. The 

main cast also includes Alan Tudyk as Philadelphia Phillies manager Ben Chapman; Gino Anthony 

Pesi as Joe Garagiola; and James Pickens, Jr. as Mr. Brock, who declares Jackie "a hero." 

Apart from the main cast, the production also needed actors to fill out the Dodgers' roster, as well as 

those of their opposing teams. "We wanted to have real baseball players," says Helgeland. "There's 

a lot of baseball going on and we wanted it to look natural." 

Second unit director and stunt coordinator Allan Graf was responsible for scouting players for "42," 

including veterans of both the major and minor leagues and Division 1 college athletes. 

Graf also oversaw the training of Chadwick Boseman, who had to learn to play in the unforgettable 

manner of his character. Helgeland, who had previously worked with Graf on "A Knight's Tale," 

notes, "Allan was a former football player and has done a lot of football films, so he brought a little 

bit of that mentality to the set. It was fitting because Jackie was a star running back at UCLA and 

ran bases more like a running back than a baseball player." 

"Jackie had a very distinctive run," Graf elaborates. "He used his shoulders and arms like a locomo- 



tive chugging, so Chad worked hard to get that down. We also had him stealing and sliding into bases, 

diving for line drives, hitting the ground, turning and throwing the ball. He trained hard for four 

months and he ended up looking great." 

Boseman reveals that another one of his biggest challenges was "emulating Jackie's batting stance 

because our body types are different, and the technique he used to hit was rather unorthodox. I practiced 

for hours every day. It was intense, but it was important because, as much as possible, I felt I 

had to do my own stunts. I couldn't separate the acting from the stunts because you need to see 

Jackie's face; you need to see the courage, the defiance, the fear and even the fun because, at the 

end of the day, he loves the game. That's an important aspect of the story." 

For two months prior to filming, baseball trainers Dennis Reitz and David Iden coached Boseman 

exclusively. But as they got closer to shooting, he was not the only one in training. All of the men 

appearing as players were immersed in weeks of physical conditioning and practice at a training 

camp run by Graf and baseball coaches Peter J. Smith and Bradley C. Bouras. It wasn't enough for 

the actors to be convincing as professional baseball players; they had to adopt what Graf calls the 

"rock-n-sock" style of the game in the 1940s. 

Helgeland explains, "I think in the `40s baseball was more of a contact sport than it is now, and we 

wanted to get that across. I told Allan I wanted to make it gritty and tough with a lot of impact. I 

didn't have to say another word. You say 'impact' to Allan and you're off and running," he laughs. 

"I don't believe it could have been any more physical," Boseman attests. "I was jumping six feet in 

the air, sliding in the dirt, diving for balls, sprinting...and we never knew how many takes we were 

going to do. It was tough and there were times it took its toll on us. But on those days when I was 

running on fumes, what got me through was thinking about how hard it was for him. I told myself I 

had one, maybe two more in me because he would have had one, maybe two more in him." 

DIAMONDS IN THE ROUGH 

The approach to the game wasn't the only thing that was different. From the ballparks, to the towns 

and cities, to the cars and buses, to the uniforms and clothes, every facet of the production had to 

reflect a time gone by. 

One important aspect of Brooklyn Dodgers baseball that was long gone was the beloved home of 

the team, Ebbets Field. In fact, all of the old major league ballparks have, over the years, been upgraded 

or completely torn down and replaced by new stadiums. Helgeland corroborates, "Even 

Fenway and Wrigley Field have been modernized, so we would have had to do too much to sell 

them as being in the period. We were also shooting during baseball season, so that made it unfeasible." 

Executive producer Jason Clark and location manager Eric Hooge scoured the South, where they 

had learned a number of those old ballparks still exist. They found three that were able to be used in 

the production: Engel Stadium in Chattanooga, Tennessee; Luther Williams Field in Macon, Georgia; 

and Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama, which is America's oldest existing ballpark. 

Perhaps most interestingly, Jackie Robinson had played on all three fields, which was inspiring to 

the filmmakers, cast and crew. Boseman says, "Whenever I came up to bat, I always grabbed a little 

bit of dirt and rubbed it in my hands as a way to pay homage to him." 



Engel Stadium was selected to serve as Ebbets Field, which turned out to be mutually beneficial to 

the production and the stadium. Hooge says, "They were considering tearing it down because it was 

in such disrepair. We had to make some modifications, but at the same time, we revitalized it so it 

can be used again." 

Production designer Richard Hoover pored over numerous images of Ebbets Field, studying it from 

every angle. In his research, he was also lucky enough to discover digital copies of the original 

drawings of the stadium online. He states, "We wanted to be as accurate as possible and also to do 

justice to the memory of one of the original baseball palaces in this country." 

Using the photos and drawings as a reference, Hoover's team resurfaced the diamond and the outfield; 

built an entire section of bleachers set at an exact angle to the baselines; and plastered 1940sera 

ads on the walls, among other elements. They even created an exact replica of the Ebbets Field 

scoreboard. 

Nevertheless, certain components could not be achieved materially, so, Hoover worked closely with 

visual effects supervisor Jamie Dixon to recapture Brooklyn, circa 1947. Helgeland says, "The two 

of them figured out a way to marry the practical sets to the computer extension in a way that is 

seamless." 

The crew constructed an enormous green screen wall by placing telephone poles at 10-foot intervals, 

which were then sunk 10 feet into the ground to fortify the massive structure. Once secure, 

they attached sheets of plywood and painted the entire wall green. Measuring approximately 1200 

feet long and 40 feet high, the green screen wrapped around the entire back of the stadium and extended 

down each side, allowing the VFX team and design teams to establish the Brooklyn skyline 

of 60-plus years ago, the crowded second deck of Ebbets Field, and whatever else was required for 

each scene. 

The vast green screen also enabled the filmmakers to repurpose Engel Stadium for the Dodgers' 

away games: using VFX to turn the stadium into the home fields of the Philadelphia Phillies and the 

Cincinnati Reds. 

Luther Williams Field was used for segments involving the Dodgers' and the Montreal Royals' 

training camps. Notably, Rickwood Field was the actual site of a game between the Kansas City 

Monarchs and the Birmingham Black Barons, during Robinson's time in the Negro League. 

Helgeland and his cast were thrilled to re-imagine moments from that game in the very place it had 

happened. 

Baseball action in "42" was captured by both the first and second units, but the goal for both was 

the same: bring the audience directly into the game. Helgeland notes, "The DP, Don Burgess, and I 

decided we weren't going to do a lot of sweeping shots of the stadium. We wanted it to feel like you 

were there—sliding into base, seeing if the runner is safe or out, anticipating a pitch in the batter's 

box, or standing on the pitcher's mound." 

Burgess says he and Helgeland and the design teams also established a specific color palette "to 

bring the audience along on the journey with Jackie Robinson from a visual standpoint. We broke it 

down by year, from `45 to `47, and I used different gel filters in the lights to create a certain atmosphere 

for each year. And all the departments made sure the tone remained consistent in the sets and 

costumes." 



Hoover adds, "We talked about keeping a somewhat desaturated color scheme until we entered the 

major league stadiums, where everything is heightened, or in the Dodgers' locker room, which features 

a strong red wainscoting. We also incorporated the theme of darkness and light, like when 

Jackie is coming out of the tunnel at Ebbets and going towards something new." 

THE BOYS OF SUMMER 

Colors and textures were equally important to costume designer Caroline Harris, who, like Hoover, 

spent months researching the styles of the day. "America in the 1940s was documented by many 

different photographers with many different viewpoints," she offers. "I gathered reams of images 

and covered my walls with them to immerse myself in the era." 

She had Harrison Ford's wardrobe made especially for him, designing it to denote a man of Branch 

Rickey's formidable stature. Every suit was also carefully fitted to the actor's padded physique. Harris 

comments, "I particularly enjoy tailoring and so does Harrison Ford. He came in with such enthusiasm 

and knowledge of the character; he was so great to work with." 

Harris designed Nicole Beharie's costumes, as Rachel Robinson, to reflect an elegant woman who 

always dressed impeccably but in a way that seemed effortless. "Jackie and Rachel Robinson were 

both fashionable dressers," she says, "and Chadwick Boseman and Nicole Beharie wore the 1940s 

clothing exceptionally well." 

Beharie shares, "I fell in love with the period, when the men were such gentlemen and all the women 

were poised and dressed like ladies. It was almost like being in another world, and then suddenly 

you go home and people are in skin-tight jeans and the music is blaring," she laughs. 

Harris and her team were also responsible for making sure that everyone—from the main characters 

to the passersby on the street to the hundreds of spectators crowding the stands—was outfitted in 

`40s garb. Christopher Meloni recalls, "The costumes absolutely transported back me to that time— 

the peanut and popcorn vendors in their white suits and little trays and everyone dressed to the nines 

to go out, even to a baseball game. It was beautiful." 

"The ball players, especially, were riding high," Harris says. "They were into how they looked and 

liked to blow some cash on their wardrobe, so the period clothes some of them wear have a bit of 

flash to them." 

Their choice of attire on the field, however, was far less personal. "The baseball aspect needed to be 

precise," Harris confirms. "The material was pre-washed before the uniforms were cut and assembled 

because the heat and humidity was sure to cause sweating and I needed to be sure the fabric 

wouldn't surprise us by shrinking or falling apart on the players." 

In addition, the team names, logos and numbers were recreated to be exactly as they were at the 

time, down to making sure the correct number was on the back of each player at the corresponding 

times. For example, Ralph Branca went from 20 to 13 during the 1947 season, taking a teammate's 

number when that player was traded. 

Major League Baseball was consulted on every detail and was an invaluable resource in ensuring 

authenticity on everything from the uniforms to the size of the bats used by particular players. 



Harris also uncovered a collector who had a personal stash of vintage Dodger uniforms. She offers, 

"We checked the material and the colors and saw immediately that they were not in the same blue 

we refer to today as Dodger Blue. Back then, the team used a much darker blue so we had to make 

sure it was the appropriate shade for that decade." 

Color is not the only thing that has changed over the years. The period equipment, particularly the 

old-style gloves, made it harder even on the most seasoned players. Lucas Black verifies, "I grew up 

playing baseball and it took me a while to get used to that glove. But it was amazing to learn more 

about the game and about this story. My love of baseball grew so much while making the movie." 

The baseball uniforms of the times, including the caps, were predominantly made of wool, and, in 

the quest for verisimilitude, so were the uniforms in the film. That was unfortunate for the men on 

the field in the southern summer months. "The heat and humidity was tough on the guys having to 

wear wool," Helgeland nods. "But I couldn't allow myself to think about it too much because we 

would never have made it through the day. I had to say, 'Look, if you want to play baseball, you're 

gonna be out in the sun.' But they were all troupers and I appreciated that." 

Despite the discomfort, however, the uniforms proved only to add to the positive experience for the 

actors. "Putting on the jersey with the number 42 was one of the most magical moments of the 

whole movie for me," Boseman affirms. 

"When we put on the uniform, we became a team," Ryan Merriman declares. "We hung out together, 

sweat together, laughed together and got it done together." 

Helgeland offers, "I knew going into this film that the relationship between Robinson and Rickey 

was important, and the relationship between Jackie and Rachel was essential, but I didn't realize 

how significant the relationship between him and his teammates would be. I read a quote about 

Jackie that said he changed the world but refused to let it change him—he came into this situation 

and everyone around him would change...or not. That's what happens when he walks into the locker 

room in the movie. And I was surprised at the power that took on, which even I didn't expect it 

would have." 

The filmmakers hope that the power of the story will resonate with moviegoers—those who know 

about Jackie Robinson and those first learning about him. 

Thomas Tull reflects, "I think '42' is not only fascinating in the way it captures a pivotal chapter in 

our history, but it's also an exciting and compelling story—one that is both informative and entertaining." 

"I believe the spirit of the country is that it is always struggling to be better, that it always wants to 

improve," Helgeland concludes, "and Jackie Robinson joining the Dodgers in 1947 was a kind of 

beachhead in that fight and in the civil rights movement. The fact that he integrated baseball didn't 

mean the issue went away, but it was a place to start to win the battle. Thanks to him and to those 

that followed, we've made incredible strides, but it's not won yet." 



About the Cast 

CHADWICK BOSEMAN (Jackie Robinson) made his feature film debut in Gary Fleder's 2008 

drama "The Express," playing football great Floyd Little. He more recently starred in the independent 

psychological post-war drama "The Kill Hole." 

A native of South Carolina, Boseman graduated from Howard University and also attended the 

prestigious British American Drama Academy at Oxford. He then began his career in the theatre as 

a playwright, director and actor. 

Boseman wrote the plays "Deep Azure," which was nominated for a 2006 Jeff Award for Best New 

Play; "Hieroglyphic Graffiti," which was produced at the National Black Theatre Festival and the 

Hip Hop Theatre Festival; and, as co-writer, "Rhyme Deferred," which appears in the Hip Hop Theatre 

anthology "The Fire This Time." 

In addition, Boseman has directed such plays as "Dutchman," "Wine in the Wilderness," "Indian 

Summer," "Spear in the Sun," "The Colored Museum" and "Six Hits." 

For the screen, he wrote, directed and executive produced the short film "Blood Over a Broken 

Pawn," which won the Jury Award for Short Film at the 2008 Hollywood Black Film Festival. He 

more recently directed and executive produced the short "Heaven." 

His theatre acting credits include "Romeo and Juliet," "Macbeth," "Breathe," "Learning Curve," 

"Willie's Cut and Shine," "Rhyme Deferred," "Bootleg Blues," "Zooman and the Sign," and "Urban 

Transitions," for which he won an AUDELCO Award for Best Supporting Actor. 

Boseman began getting his foot in the door on television with guest starring roles on such series as 

"Fringe," "Justified," "ER" and "Law & Order," as well as the daytime drama "All My Children." 

He was later cast as Graham McNair on the FOX mystery drama "Persons Unknown," created and 

executive produced by Christopher McQuarrie. 

HARRISON FORD (Branch Rickey) has starred in some of the most successful and acclaimed 

films in cinema history, including the landmark "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones" franchises and a 

total of eight Best Picture Oscar®-nominated movies. Ford earned an Academy Award® nomination 

for his compelling portrayal of Detective John Book in Peter Weir's 1985 Oscar®-nominated 

hit "Witness," for which he also received Golden Globe and BAFTA Award nominations, all for 

Best Actor. Ford subsequently garnered three more Best Actor Golden Globe nominations: for his 

performances in Weir's 1986 drama "The Mosquito Coast"; the 1994 Oscar®-nominated blockbuster 

"The Fugitive," for director Andrew Davis; and Sydney Pollack's 1996 remake of "Sabrina." 

Over the course of his illustrious career, Ford has also been repeatedly honored for his contributions 

to the film industry, including the Hollywood Foreign Press Association's Cecil B. DeMille Award, 

in 2002, and the American Film Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award, in 2000. In 1994, the National 

Association of Theater Owners named him the Box Office Star of the Century. 

A native of Chicago, Ford launched his film career in 1973 with the breakthrough role of hot-rodder 

Bob Falfa in George Lucas's seminal hit, "American Graffiti." Four years later, he reunited with Lucas 

to play the iconic role of Han Solo in "Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope." The sci-fi epic 

earned 12 Oscar® nominations, including Best Picture, and went on to become the top-grossing 



film in history, a record it held for 20 years. Ford reprised the role of Han Solo in the sequels "The 

Empire Strikes Back" and "The Return of the Jedi." 

In 1981, Ford created another legendary screen character, Indiana Jones, in Steven Spielberg's Oscar®-nominated 

mega-hit "Raiders of the Lost Ark." During the 1980s, he starred in the blockbuster 

sequels "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" and "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade." In 

2008, he returned to the title role in the hugely successful "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the 

Crystal Skull." 

Ford's many other film credits include Francis Ford Coppola's Oscar®-nominated features "The 

Conversation" and "Apocalypse Now"; Ridley Scott's 1982 science fiction classic "Blade Runner"; 

Mike Nichols' Oscar®-nominated romantic comedy "Working Girl"; the title role in the Nicholsdirected 

drama "Regarding Henry"; Alan J. Pakula's "Presumed Innocent"; Philip Noyce's "Patriot 

Games" and "Clear and Present Danger," both based on the Tom Clancy bestsellers; Wolfgang Petersen's 

"Air Force One"; Robert Zemeckis's "What Lies Beneath"; Kathryn Bigelow's "K-19: The 

Widowmaker," which he also executive produced; Roger Michell's "Morning Glory"; and Jon 

Favreau's "Cowboys & Aliens." 

This fall, Ford will star in two much-anticipated films: Gavin Hood's "Ender's Game," a sci-fi film 

adaptation of the novel by Orson Scott Card; and the Robert Luketic-directed thriller "Paranoia," 

based on the novel by Joseph Finder. 

NICOLE BEHARIE (Rachel Robinson), a Juilliard graduate and accomplished jazz singer, is 

quickly emerging as one of the most versatile new actresses in Hollywood. 

Following "42," Beharie will be seen this year in Matthew Cherry's family drama "The Last Fall," 

in which she stars opposite Lance Gross and Harry Lennix. A 2012 SXSW Film Festival selection, 

the movie was picked up at the American Black Film Festival in Miami. Beharie was also honored 

with the Rising Star Award at the Pan African Film Festival for her role in the movie. 

Upcoming, Beharie will next star with Olivia Wilde and Hailee Steinfeld in "The Keeping Room," a 

Civil War-era drama to be directed by Daniel Barber. 

In 2011, Beharie starred in the critically acclaimed drama "Shame," with Michael Fassbender and 

Carey Mulligan. Directed by Steve McQueen, the movie received numerous international honors, 

including the Venice Film Festival Award for Best Film, as well as Best Film nominations from the 

Independent Spirit Awards, British Independent Film Awards and BAFTA Awards. 

Beharie made her feature film debut in 2008, starring in Samuel Goldwyn's heart-wrenching, thinly 

fictionalized drama "American Violet." She received rave reviews for her performance in that film 

as a single mother wrongly accused of being a drug dealer who must fight for justice. Also in 2008, 

she portrayed Sarah Ward, the girlfriend of Ernie Davis, in the true-life sports drama "The Express," 

opposite Rob Brown. 

On the small screen, Beharie starred in the Lifetime movie "Sins of the Mother," and also had guest 

roles on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" and "The Good Wife." 

In addition, Beharie appeared on Broadway in John Guare's "Free Man of Color," with Mos Def and 

Jeffrey Wright. She was also seen off-Broadway in the world premiere of "Father Comes Home 



from the Wars." 

CHRISTOPHER MELONI (Leo Durocher), already one of Hollywood's most successful television 

actors, solidifies his leading man status with a number of much-anticipated feature films. He 

will next be seen in Zack Snyder's "Man of Steel," opening in June. Meloni then stars in "Small 

Time," with Bridget Moynahan and Dean Norris, due for a limited release later this summer. In October, 

he co-stars with Josh Brolin, Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Eva Green, 

and Mickey Rourke in "Sin City: A Dame to Kill For," the sequel to 2005's screen adaptation of 

Frank Miller's highly regarded graphic novel. Currently, Meloni is co-starring in the indie comedy 

"Awful Nice," which premiered to great reviews at the 2013 SXSW Film Festival in Austin. He also 

has two other films awaiting release dates for 2013/2014: "They Came Together," directed by David 

Wain and also starring Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler, and Ed Helms; and "White Bird in a Blizzard," 

based on the book of the same name by Laura Kasischke, with Shailene Woodley and Eva Green. 

The Washington, D.C. native studied acting at the University of Colorado - Boulder before graduating 

with a degree in History. He worked in construction and as a bouncer before breaking into acting, 

studying his craft in New York with legendary teacher Sanford Meisner. Early on, he landed a 

number of small film roles and short-lived TV series, including "The Fanelli Boys," before his 

breakout part on "NYPD Blue," opposite Kim Delaney. That led to him winning a series regular 

role on HBO's gritty series "Oz," playing the psychotic, bisexual murderer Chris Keller, in an ensemble 

cast that also included J.K. Simmons, Lee Tergesen and Rita Moreno. 

In 1999, he landed his starring role on the popular and long-running NBC series "Law & Order: 

Special Victims Unit," with Meloni working in both series simultaneously until "Oz" ended its run 

in 2003. He continued on "Law & Order: SVU" for twelve seasons, earning an Emmy nomination 

for his performance as Detective Elliot Stabler. Meloni returned to television last year for an arc on 

HBO's award-winning series "True Blood." He has also logged roles on the HBO series "1st & Ten: 

The Championship," NBC's "Scrubs," "Brooklyn South," "Homicide: Life on the Street," "Leaving 

L.A." and "The Boys." 

Meloni's other big screen credits include the Terry Gilliam films "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" 

and "Twelve Monkeys"; the Wachowskis' first film "Bound"; the romantic comedy "Runaway 

Bride," with Richard Gere and Julia Roberts; "Nights in Rodanthe," with Gere and Diane Lane; and 

such cult favorites as "Wet Hot American Summer," "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle," and its 

first sequel, "Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay." 

ANDRE HOLLAND (Wendell Smith), a native of Birmingham, Alabama, gained an undergraduate 

degree from Florida State University, before earning an MFA from New York University's 

Graduate Acting Program. Shortly after graduation, he received acclaim for his tour-de-force performance 

as four generations of a family in the play "Blue Door" at Playwrights Horizons. 

Holland made his Broadway debut in the Tony Award-winning 2009 revival of August Wilson's 

"Joe Turner's Come and Gone," at Lincoln Center. He more recently starred in the Manhattan Theatre 

Club's 2011 presentation of "The Whipping Man." Also that year, he starred in the Public Theatre's 

Shakespeare in the Park productions of "All's Well That Ends Well" and "Measure for Measure." 

His off-Broadway work also includes "The Brother/Sister Plays," "Wig Out," and the Shakespeare 

in the Park presentations of "Much Ado About Nothing" and "As You Like It." Holland's 

stage repertoire also includes such plays as "Tempest Tossed" and Romeo and Juliet," with the 



NYU/Continuum Company; "In the Red and Brown Water," at Georgia's Alliance Theatre; and 

"Andorra," at London's Young Vic, to name only a few. 

On the screen, Holland was previously seen in the comedy "Bride Wars," Spike Lee's World War II 

drama "Miracle at St. Anna," and the acclaimed 2008 independent film "Sugar," which marked his 

feature film debut. 

Holland currently has a recurring role as White House Press Secretary Marshall Malloy on the NBC 

comedy "1600 Penn." He previously co-starred in the NBC sitcom "Friends with Benefits." He has 

also guest starred on such series as "Burn Notice," "Damages," "The Black Donnellys" and "Law & 

Order." 

LUCAS BLACK (Pee Wee Reese) most recently co-starred with Matt Damon in Gus Van Sant's 

critically acclaimed drama "Promised Land." He also starred in the supernatural horror thriller "Legion"; 

the actioner "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift"; and Sam Mendes' gritty war drama 

"Jarhead," with Jake Gyllenhaal and Jamie Foxx. His recent credits also include the independent 

features "Seven Days in Utopia," alongside Robert Duvall and Melissa Leo, and "Get Low," also 

starring Duvall, Sissy Spacek and Bill Murray. 

Black literally grew up on the screen, having made his feature film debut at age eleven in Jon 

Avnet's 1994 drama "The War." Two years later, he starred as Frank Wheatley, the young boy who 

befriends a mentally handicapped man, in Billy Bob Thornton's Oscar®-winning drama "Sling 

Blade." For his performance in the film, Black won both Young Artist and YoungStar Awards for 

Best Leading Actor, and he also shared in a Screen Actors Guild Award® nomination for Outstanding 

Motion Picture Cast. He reunited with Thornton in 2000 for the Western "All the Pretty Horses," 

which Thornton wrote and directed, and which brought Black another Young Artist Award 

nomination. He also worked alongside Thornton in the cast of Peter Berg's hit 2004 football drama 

"Friday Night Lights." 

Among Black's additional film credits are Rob Reiner's true-life drama "Ghosts of Mississippi"; 

"The X Files"; Antonio Banderas's directorial debut "Crazy in Alabama," for which he received another 

Young Artist Award nomination; and Anthony Minghella's Civil War drama "Cold Mountain." 

On television, Black starred on the CBS series "American Gothic," and also starred in the television 

movie "Flash" and the 2000 remake of "The Miracle Worker," as James Keller. 

HAMISH LINKLATER (Ralph Branca) starred for five seasons on the CBS comedy "The New 

Adventures of Old Christine," playing the brother of Julia-Louis Dreyfus's title character. On the 

big screen, he recently co-starred with Liam Neeson and Alexander Skarsgård in Peter Berg's 2012 

action adventure "Battleship." 

An accomplished stage actor, Linklater most recently starred opposite Alan Rickman in the Broadway 

play "Seminar," marking his Broadway debut. In 2011, he won an Obie Award for his performance 

off-Broadway in "The School for Lies." He earned a Drama Desk Award nomination in 2010 

for his work in the Public Theatre's Shakespeare in the Park production of "Twelfth Night." Earlier 

this year, he made his playwriting debut with "Vandal," which just premiered off-Broadway. 



Born in the heart of the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts, Linklater began acting at the age of 

eight as part of an acting troupe called Shakespeare & Company, founded by his mother, Columbia 

University drama professor and noted vocal coach Kristin Linklater. After attending Amherst College, 

he left school to pursue his career. 

His early New York stage work includes the Public Theatre's world premiere of "Love's Fire: Fresh 

Numbers by Seven American Playwrights"; "The Chemistry of Change"; and "Hamlet," also for the 

Public Theatre. His subsequent New York theatre credits include the off-Broadway plays "Good 

Thing," "Recent Tragic Events," "The Busy World is Hushed," and the Shakespeare in the Park 

presentations of "The Merchant of Venice" and "The Winter's Tale." Regionally, his list of credits 

include the world premiere of "The Violet Hour," at the South Coast Rep; "The Singing Forest," at 

the Long Wharf; and "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and "Measure for Measure," directed by Sir 

Peter Hall, at the Ahmanson. 

Television audiences most recently saw Linklater in recurring roles on "The Good Wife" and "The 

Big C," as well as guest roles on "The Newsroom" and "Law & Order: SVU." His previous credits 

include the HBO movie "Live from Baghdad," a recurring role on "American Dreams" and a regular 

role on "Gideon's Crossing." Among Linklater's feature film credits are "Fantastic Four," and the 

independent features "Lola Versus," "The Future" and "The Groove." 



About the Filmmakers 

BRIAN HELGELAND (Director / Writer) won an Academy Award® in the category Best 

Adapted Screenplay for his work on Curtis Hanson's acclaimed crime drama "L.A. Confidential." 

That film also brought him a Writers Guild of America (WGA) Award, as well as awards from a 

number of film critics associations, including the Los Angeles Film Critics, New York Film Critics 

Circle, and Broadcast Film Critics. In addition, he received Golden Globe and BAFTA Award nominations. 

Helgeland received his second Oscar®, Golden Globe, BAFTA Award and WGA Award nominations 

for his screenplay for the drama "Mystic River," directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Sean 

Penn. 

Helgeland made his feature film directorial debut on the hit thriller "Payback," which he also cowrote. 

He went on to write and direct "A Knight's Tale" and "The Order," both starring Heath 

Ledger. 

His additional screenwriting credits include "Conspiracy Theory," directed by Richard Donner and 

starring Julia Roberts and Mel Gibson; Clint Eastwood's "Blood Work"; the Denzel Washington 

starrers "Man on Fire" and "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3," both for director Tony Scott; Paul 

Greengrass's "Green Zone," starring Matt Damon; and Ridley Scott's "Robin Hood," with Russell 

Crowe in the title role. 

THOMAS TULL (Producer) is Chairman and CEO of Legendary Pictures and has achieved great 

success in the co-production and co-financing of event movies. Since its inception in 2004, Legendary 

Pictures, a division of leading media company Legendary Entertainment with film and comics 

divisions, has teamed with Warner Bros. Pictures on a wide range of theatrical features. 

The many hits released under their joint banner include Christopher Nolan's blockbuster Dark 

Knight trilogy, which kicked off with "Batman Begins," followed by the award-winning phenomenon 

"The Dark Knight," which earned in excess of a billion dollars worldwide. Nolan brought the 

story to an epic conclusion in 2012 with "The Dark Knight Rises," which earned more than a billion 

dollars at the global box office. 

This highly successful partnership has also produced such films as Zack Snyder's "300" and 

"Watchmen"; Ben Affleck's "The Town"; Nolan's award-winning action drama "Inception"; the 

worldwide hit "Clash of the Titans" and its sequel, "Wrath of the Titans"; and Todd Phillips' "The 

Hangover" and "The Hangover Part II," the latter of which is the highest-grossing R-rated comedy 

of all time. 

Legendary's upcoming films slated for release in 2013 include Phillips' "The Hangover Part III"; 

"Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures Pacific Rim," from director Guillermo del Toro; 

Zack Snyder's "Man of Steel"; "Seventh Son," starring Jeff Bridges; and "300: Rise of an Empire," 

the new chapter in the "300" saga. Legendary is also in production on "Godzilla," slated for release 

in May 2014, and "Gravel." 

Before forming Legendary, Tull was President of The Convex Group, a media and entertainment 

holding company headquartered in Atlanta, on whose Board of Directors he also served. Tull is also 

a member of the Board of Trustees of the American Film Institute (AFI) and the Board of Directors 



of Hamilton College, his alma mater, and Carnegie Mellon University. He serves on the board of 

the San Diego Zoo and is a minority partner in the six-time Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers. 

DICK COOK (Executive Producer) was Chairman of The Walt Disney Studios, where he oversaw 

all aspects of development, production, distribution and marketing for live-action and animated 

films released under the Walt Disney Pictures, Disney-Pixar, Touchstone Pictures, DreamWorks 

Films, Hollywood Pictures and Miramax banners worldwide. He was also responsible for Disney's 

worldwide home entertainment operations, Walt Disney Music Group, Walt Disney Theatrical Productions, 

Disney-ABC Domestic Television, Disney-ABC International Television, the Studio's legal 

and business affairs, new technology and environmental initiatives. 

Under Cook's leadership, the Studio achieved numerous milestones and was one of the leading domestic 

and international distributors with global box office receipts in excess of two billion dollars 

each year. During his tenure, Disney released 60 films that grossed more than $100 million domestically, 

a feat that no other studio had ever accomplished. In addition, the Studio partnered with 

some of the most acclaimed producers and directors in the industry, including Jerry Bruckheimer, 

Scott Rudin, Robert Zemeckis, Tim Burton, Tony Scott, Robert Redford, Michael Bay, Frank Marshall 

and Kathleen Kennedy, among many others. 

Due to Cook's foresight, Disney became an early pioneer and industry leader in digital cinema deployment, 

becoming the first studio to begin a substantial slate of digital theatrical releases in 1999. 

In November 2005, Disney sparked the first studio backed digital cinema rollout for the successful 

deployment of 3D-enabled digital cinema systems in 84 U.S. theaters, as well as the premiere of 

"Chicken Little," utilizing Disney Digital 3-D(TM). That film sparked a revolutionary process to 

create a previously unachievable level of 3-D realism, which, in combination with the Digital 3-D 

Cinema systems, raised the bar of entertainment in the theatrical exhibition industry. 

A 38-year Disney veteran, Cook literally rose through the ranks from a ride operator at Disneyland, 

in 1970, to becoming Chairman. 

He has received many prestigious honors throughout his lifetime, including: the Freedoms Foundation 

of Valley Forge's George Washington Medal of Freedom; the Motion Picture Showman of the 

Year Award from the Publicists of the International Cinematographers Guild; The Walt Disney 

Man of the Year Award from Big Brothers Big Sisters; The Children's Charity of Southern California 

Lifetime Achievement Award from Variety; and being named "Pioneer of the Year" by the Will 

Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation. 

Cook currently sits on the Board of Governors for the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences 

as well as the Board of Directors for KCET Public Television, where he serves as vice chair. 

Other boards on which Cook serves include Legendary Pictures, the Foundation Board for Providence 

Health Services, the Will Rogers Foundation, and the Foundation of Motion Picture Pioneers. 

Cook graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in political science, and 

he has been a USC trustee and served as president of the USC Alumni Association. 

JON JASHNI (Executive Producer) oversees the development and production of all Legendary 

Pictures film projects and is President and Chief Creative Officer of Legendary Entertainment, a 

leading media company with film and comics divisions. 



Jashni is currently producing "Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures Pacific Rim," opening 

this July, and "Godzilla," bringing the movie monster back to the screen in summer 2014. He is also 

an executive producer on the upcoming "Seventh Son," as well as the highly anticipated sequel 

"300: Rise of an Empire." 

He previously served as executive producer on such Legendary hits as "Wrath of the Titans," which 

was the follow-up to the worldwide hit "Clash of the Titans," and "The Town," directed by and starring 

Ben Affleck. 

Prior to Legendary, Jashni was President of Hyde Park Entertainment, a production and financing 

company with overall deals at 20th Century Fox, Disney and MGM. While there, he oversaw the 

development and production of "Shopgirl," "Dreamer," "Walking Tall" and "Premonition." 

Before joining Hyde Park, Jashni was a producer on director Andy Tennant's romantic comedy hit 

"Sweet Home Alabama." Jashni's collaboration with Tennant began with the fairytale "Ever After," 

for which Jashni oversaw development and production as a senior production executive at 20th 

Century Fox. 

Jashni also co-produced two Academy Award®-nominated films: the critically acclaimed drama 

"The Hurricane," which garnered a Best Actor nod for star Denzel Washington; and a non-musical 

reinterpretation of "Anna and the King," which starred Jodie Foster and earned two Oscar® nominations. 

Jashni is a member of the American Film Institute and the Producers Guild of America. He holds a 

BS from the University of Southern California and an MBA from UCLA's Anderson School of 

Management. 

JASON CLARK (Executive Producer) most recently produced Seth MacFarlane's "Ted," starring 

Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis and the voice of MacFarlane as the title character. The comedy 

blockbuster earned more than $547 million at the worldwide box office, making it the highestgrossing 

original R-rated comedy. In addition, Clark was an executive producer on the action thriller 

"Act of Valor," which featured a cast of actual members of the elite Navy SEALS and was shot 

exclusively on the Cannon 5D digital camera. Among his other recent credits, he produced the 

family feature "Hotel for Dogs" and was an executive producer on the horror film "The Cabin in the 

Woods." 

Clark is reteaming with MacFarlane to produce a 13-part miniseries reboot of Carl Sagan's "Cosmos," 

as well as MacFarlane's next live-action feature, "A Million Ways to Die in the West." He is 

also currently executive producing a feature-length animated version of Jay Ward's classic 1960s 

cartoon "Mr. Peabody & Sherman," being directed by Rob Minkoff. Clark previously collaborated 

with Minkoff as an executive producer on the family hit "Stuart Little" and its sequel, "Stuart Little 

2." 

In addition, he also served as an executive producer on the motion capture-animated, stereoscopic 

3D film "Monster House," which was Oscar®-nominated for Best Animated Feature. 

An innovator in cutting-edge technology, Clark headed up DreamWorks Animation's move into stereoscopic 

3D cinema. In addition, he regularly consults for Relativity Pictures and assisted in the 



stereoscopic 3D conversion of the films "Immortals" and "My Soul to Keep." Clark is also a founding 

member of the design organization 5-D: The Future of Immersive Design. 

Clark graduated from UCLA with a degree in economics, and began his career working for director 

Walter Hill. He went on to co-produce or line produce a number of action features, gaining global 

experience on the shoots for such films as the Jean-Claude Van Damme starrers "The Quest," "Sudden 

Death" and "Maximum Risk." 

He has since produced or executive produced several independent films, including "Happy Texas," 

which sold for a record-breaking price at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival; Peter Chelsom's "The 

Mighty"; and Stephen Gyllenhaal's "Homegrown." 

DON BURGESS (Director of Photography) has enjoyed a long association with Robert Zemeckis, 

with whom he most recently collaborated on the acclaimed drama "Flight." Burgess was previously 

honored with Oscar®, BAFTA Award and American Society of Cinematographer (ASC) Award 

nominations for his work on Zemeckis's Best Picture winner "Forrest Gump." In addition, Burgess 

lensed the Zemeckis-directed films "The Polar Express," "Cast Away," "What Lies Beneath" and 

"Contact," and was the second unit director of photography on "Death Becomes Her," "Back to the 

Future Part II" and "Back to the Future Part III." 

Burgess is currently working on "The Muppets...Again!" having earlier served as the cinematographer 

on the 2011 family hit "The Muppets." His wide range of feature film credits also includes 

"Source Code," "The Book of Eli," "Enchanted," "Eight Below," "Christmas with the Kranks," "13 

Going on 30," "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" and "Spider-Man," to name only a portion. 

For television, Burgess won a CableACE Award for his work on a Zemeckis-directed episode of 

"Tales from the Crypt." He also received an ASC Award nomination for the telefilm "The Court- 

Martial of Jackie Robinson." 

RICHARD HOOVER (Production Designer) has designed major projects for the stage and screen. 

He previously collaborated with director Brian Helgeland on the thriller "Payback." His list of film 

credits also includes "Soul Men," "Henry Poole is Here," "North Country," "The Mothman Prophecies," 

"Girl, Interrupted," "Cradle Will Rock," "Apt Pupil," and the Tim Robbins-directed films 

"Dead Man Walking" and "Bob Roberts." 

For the small screen, Hoover earned an Emmy nomination and won an Art Directors Guild (ADG) 

Award for the telefilm "Live from Baghdad." He received his second Emmy nomination for the acclaimed 

HBO biopic "Temple Grandin." Most recently, he served as the production designer on the 

HBO series "The Newsroom," for which he garnered another ADG Award nomination. His television 

work also includes such longform projects as "Lackawanna Blues," "The Hamburg Cell," "Fail 

Safe," "Heat Wave" and "Family of Spies"; the pilot of HBO's "Entourage"; and David Lynch's innovative 

series "Twin Peaks." 

Hoover, who has also designed extensively for the stage, won Tony and Drama Desk Awards for 

his work on Trevor Nunn's production of Tennessee Williams' "Not About Nightingales." He also 

won an Evening Standard Award and received Olivier and London Critics Circle Award nominations 

for the play's West End presentation at the Royal National Theatre. He has since received two 

more Drama Desk Award nominations, for "Bat Boy: The Musical" and the 2004 Broadway revival 



of Arthur Miller's "After the Fall." In all, Hoover has designed more than 75 productions, including 

for the stages of New York's Public Theatre, Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre, Minneapolis' Guthrie 

Theater, and Los Angeles' Mark Taper Forum, among others. 

KEVIN STITT (Editor) has been the editor on all of Brian Helgeland's films to date, including 

"Payback," "A Knight's Tale" and "The Order." Their association began on Richard Donner's "Conspiracy 

Theory," which Helgeland wrote. 

Stitt most recently edited the action thriller "Jack Reacher," starring Tom Cruise, and "Man on a 

Ledge," starring Sam Worthington. He also served as an editor on the acclaimed Michael Jackson 

documentary, "This Is It." 

His long list of film credits also includes Jonathan Mostow's "Surrogates" and "Breakdown"; Matt 

Reeves' "Cloverfield"; "Elektra"; Peter Berg's "The Kingdom"; John Woo's "Paycheck"; "The Last 

Castle," starring Robert Redford; Bryan Singer's blockbuster "X-Men," which launched the film 

franchise; Richard Donner's "Lethal Weapon 4"; "Executive Decision," starring Kurt Russell and 

Halle Berry; and John Badham's "Nick of Time." 

PETER McNULTY (Editor) recently edited Paul Thomas Anderson's award-winning drama "The 

Master." He had previously collaborated with Anderson as an additional editor on the Oscar®winning 

period drama "There Will Be Blood." 

With "42," McNulty continued his long association with director Brian Helgeland. He had earlier 

worked with editor Kevin Stitt on Helgeland's three previous directorial outings: "Payback," "A 

Knight's Tale" and "The Order." 

McNulty also edited three projects for horror master Wes Craven: "Scream 4," "My Soul to Take," 

and the 2008 reimagining of his 1972 classic, "The Last House on the Left," which Craven wrote 

and produced but did not direct. 

In addition, McNulty was an associate editor on the Western "The Assassination of Jesse James by 

the Coward Robert Ford," and an additional editor on the superhero adventure "Elektra." He was 

also a first assistant editor on Bryan Singer's "X-Men" and John Woo's thriller "Paycheck," and an 

assistant editor on two Richard Donner projects, "Lethal Weapon 4" and "Conspiracy Theory." 

CAROLINE HARRIS (Costume Designer) previously teamed with Brian Helgeland on the films 

"The Order" and "A Knight's Tale," both starring Heath Ledger. 

Harris's first feature film as a costume designer was Milcho Manchevski's 1994 multi-lingual drama 

"Before the Rain," which won numerous international awards, culminating in the Oscar® for Best 

Foreign Language Film. The following year, she designed the costumes for Oliver Parker's acclaimed 

screen adaptation of Shakespeare's "Othello," starring Laurence Fishburne. 

Harris later reunited with Parker on the screen version of Oscar Wilde's comedy "An Ideal Husband," 

for which she received a BAFTA Award nomination. She earned an Emmy Award nomination 

for the HBO movie "Iron Jawed Angels," which told the story of the American Suffragist 

movement and starred Hilary Swank and Anjelica Huston. 



Harris's other film credits include "The Awakening"; "Repo Man," starring Jude Law; and such 

British independent films as "44 Inch Chest," starring Ray Winstone; "When Did You Last See 

Your Father," starring Jim Broadbent and Colin Firth; "Mr. Nice"; "Still Crazy"; "Croupier"; "The 

Governess," starring Minnie Driver; and Beeban Kidron's "Swept from the Sea." 

MARK ISHAM (Composer) is an Oscar®-nominated composer who has collaborated with such 

directors and artists as Robert Redford, Tom Cruise, Brian De Palma, Chick Corea, Jodie Foster, 

Robert Altman, Sting, Will.i.am, Sidney Lumet and Mick Jagger. 

Isham began composing for film with "Never Cry Wolf," and has since written the scores for such 

films as "Of Mice and Men"; "Nell," for which he received a Golden Globe nomination; "Fly Away 

Home"; "October Sky"; "Men of Honor"; "Life as a House"; "Miracle"; "Invincible"; Werner Herzog's 

"The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call – New Orleans"; "Reservation Road"; and "Bobby." 

His collaboration with Robert Redford has yielded the scores for "A River Runs Through It," for 

which he received an Oscar® nomination; "Quiz Show"; "Lions for Lambs"; and, more recently, 

"The Conspirator." 

He scored the Oscar®-winning "Crash" and the celebrated miniseries "From the Earth to the Moon" 

and currently writes the music for the hit ABC series "Once Upon a Time." 

The native New Yorker showed an early gift for the trumpet, and went on to record with Herbie 

Hancock and Bobby McFerrin. He has released nine solo albums, and has performed with the likes 

of Bruce Springsteen, Willie Nelson, and Kenny Loggins. Isham has scored over 125 films, both as 

an innovator in electronics and as a lush orchestral melodist. He was recently given the Henry 

Mancini Award for Lifetime Achievement by ASCAP.

42 Production Notes - Visual Hollywood

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